Switch



Nov. 29, 1955 w. E. BROWN SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1953llsnni iiilnnnn! ill! Il S Z.-

United States Patent O SWITCH William E. Brown, Anderson, Ind., assignerto General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of DelawareApplication May 25, 1953, Serial No. 356,955

s Claims. (C1. 20o- 16) This invention relates generally to electricalswitches, and particularly to a switch operable in either direction froma neutral position, such as might be employed for controlling an antennaoperating system in which a twoway switch button is employed, one forcausing the antenna to be elevated and the other for causing it to belowered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a double acting switchcontrolled by a reciprocable knob, whereby a suitable circuit forelevating or lowering the antenna may be energized.

Another object of the invention is to provide a double throw switch withsimple and efficient means for keeping the control knob thereof in itsneutral position and returning it to the neutral position from either ofits positions of operation upon release by the operator.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

in the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of a switch embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end View looking in the direction of arrow 3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but with the reciprocating member inone of the on 0r circuit closing positions.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of spring member of the switch.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the bridging member.

Fig. l() is a plan view of the carrier to receive the bridging membershown in Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, 20 designates a control switch which includesa sheet metal frame or housing 21 of channel shape, said housingincluding a bottom wall or guide way 22 formed with a groove 23 toprovide spaced bearing surfaces 24. The grooved portion of the bottomwall is provided with apertures 25 to provide for the attachment of thehousing to a suitable support. A pair of parallel side walls or flanges27 and 28 are rigidly secured to the bottom wall and each flangeincludes spaced tangs or fingers 29` which are spaced differently, asindicated in Fig. l, on each liange the purpose of which will be setforth hereinafter. The wall 27 is provided with a central notch 30 inwhich a switch operating knob or stem 31 is adapted to slide. Stops 32are formed at each end of the notch 30 for engagement by the knob 31 tolimit its reciprocating movement.

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A terminal plate or base 35 of insulating material completes the housingand the base is provided with notches to receive the tangs 29. Thesenotches are so positioned that the base 35 can be assembled only in oneposition, thereby avoiding any confusion in the arrangement of terminalscarried by the base 35. The base is clamped against the edges of theange by binding the tangs 29 over the rear face of the base. Mounted onthe base 3S are three terminals 36, 37 and 38 of the character shown inFig. 5. These terminals have contact portions which are ush with theinner face of the base 35 and these terminals are mounted so that theyform a triangle as illustrated in Fig. l.

Slidably mounted within housing formed by the bottom wall 22, its sideflanges 27 and 28 and the base, there is a carrier 40 of insulatingmaterial. Projecting from the carrier is the stem or knob 31 which isattached upon and desirably integral with the carrier 40. The stem orknob 31 is shorter than the length of the notch thereby allowing spaceto allow the stem to reciprocate which may be guided by the edge 42 ofthe slot 30 and the inner face of the base 35 and the stops 32 providedby the notch limit the reciprocating movement of the stem 31 and thecarrier 40.

The carrier 40, see Fig. l0, is formed with notches 45 and 46 on oneedge and a notch 47 on the opposite edge. The carrierk 40 is also formedwith a recess 48 and a pocket 49. Positioned in the recess 48 is abridging member or conducting plate 50, see Fig. 9, having extendingarms or lugs 51 which extends into the notches 45, 46 and 47 and isspring urged outwardly from the carrier 40 into engagement with the base35 by a spring 52 positioned between and within pocket 49 the bridgingmember 50 and the carrier 4t). The conducting plate carries a pluralityof cup-shaped projections 53, 54 and 55 for engagement with contactportions provided by the terminals 36, 37 and 3S, one of the contactpositions provided by the terminals is clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

The carrier 40 is provided with a boss 60 to provide abutments 61 and 62on opposite sides of the stern 31. Novel spring means 65 are providedfor positively holding the carrier 40 in a neutral or oli position ofthe control switch 20. This spring means also yieldably resists movementof the carrier 40 in either direction, and said means automaticallyreturns the carrier to its neutral or ott position upon release of themoving means. The spring means, in this instance, a single strip ofspring metal of suitable size which is bent and shaped to provide aspringy clip, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. The spring clip 65 comprises abar or straight portion 66 and the bar is bent at opposite ends thereofto provide opposed loops 67 and 68. A hump 69 is formed at thetermination of the loops so as to provide converging resilient arms 70and 7i having flared ends.

Before the carrier 40, spring 52, and conducting plate are assembledwithin the frame 21 the spring clip 65 is mounted on the flange 28. Byreferring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the straight portion 66 willbe adjacent the outside of the flange 28 and the loop portions 67 and 68will be disposed over the ends of the tiange 2S and the arms 70 and 71will converge toward each other. When the carrier 40 is mounted withinthe frame the arms 70 and 71 are spread apart to permit the boss 6i) ofcarrier 4i) to be inserted therebetween. Upon release of the arms, thearms 70 and 71 tend to return to their normal state. Obviously, initialtension is placed upon the arms 70 and 71 so that the arms will bemaintained in rm contact with the abutments 61 and 62 on opposite sidesof the boss, whereby to maintain the carrier 40 in its neutral orcircuit open position and to return it to such position when released bythe operator from either position of actuation.

The switch may be used to control remotely a re versible motor, notshown of an antenna operating system. ln such a system the terminal 38is connected by a lead not shown, to a suitable source of electricity,for example a battery. Two leads are connected to terminals 36 and 37and extend to terminals of the reversible motor, whereby upon suitableoperation of the switch the motor will be actuated and the antennalowered or elevated accordingly.

ln operation, the switch stem or operating member 31 may be shifted upor down, as viewed in Fig. 2. l the movement is down, as viewed in Fig.7, the abutment 62 of the boss 60 moves the arm 71 downwardly thusstoring energy in the arm 71. When the stem 31 engages the stop thebridging member moved by the carrier will have the projections 53 and 55engaging contact portions 37, 38 of the terminal to close a circuit. Assoon as the moving force is released from the stem 3ft, the arm '71 willimmediately return the carrier 45 to its neutral position. The springarm 70 will cushion the return of the carrier to its neutral position incase there is an over-travel on the part of the carrier 40. ln a likemanner the carrier 40 may be moved upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 2 toanother operative position of the control switch to close anothercircuit and returned to its neutral position after the moving force isreleased from the stem.

The control switch structure described is adapted to be used with areversible motor that is mounted in a suitable position to raise andlower an antenna but it is to be understood that this switch can beequally used where a pair of parallel circuits are to be controiled.

`/hile the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

l. A control switch comprising in combination; a housing comprising aright angle channel member having parallel anges; a terminal back ofnonconducting material disposed against the edge 0f said anges andcooperating with said housing to provide guideways; a contact carriermovable along the guideways from a central position to controlselectively parallel circuits through said switch; and spring meansflexed to react in the housing upon said contact carrier for maintainingthe switch normally in circuit open condition, said spring means havingits mid-portion disposed exterior to said housing and having its endportions yieldable for opposing movement of the contact carrierselectively in 4 either direction for completing either of a pair ofcontrol circuits and acting upon the release of contact movement toreturn the contact carrier to a central open circuit position,

2. The combination set forth in claim l wherein said spring meanscomprises a strap member laying against the outside of one of thehousing flanges and having loop portions disposed to embrace the ends ofsaid ange with free ends of said spring angularly directed to engagesaid contact carrier.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said spring meanscomprises a strap With angularly directed free ends joined to a bridgingportion by curved loops, said bridging portion and loops embracing oneflange of said channel member with the free ends thereof extendinginwardly from the ends of the channel member to yieldably engage saidcontact carrier.

4. A control switch comprising in combination a sheet metal channelmember having parallel liange portions; a Contact carrier reciprocablymovable along the channel member between said flanges, one of saidparallel anges having a notch therein and said contact carrier having astem portion extending therefrom and cooperating said notch for defininglimits of carrier movement in either direction from a central position,spring means embracing the other of said parallel anges for yieldablymaintaining the contact carrier in said central position; a terminalblock secured against the edge of said channel and cooperating with saidflanges to provide guide means for said contact carrier.

5. An electric switch for selectively controlling either of two circuitswith automatic return to circuit open position comprising incombination, a terminal body providing terminal contacts to beselectively engaged; a housing cooperating with said terminal body toprovide a side wall with openings at opposite ends of the housing; acontact carrier movable along the side wall in either direction from thecentral position and having spaced transverse abutments; spring meansembracing the said side wall including looped portions extending in saidopposite end openings with free ends engaging said abutments, wherebysaid contact carrier is yieldably movable in either direction tocomplete one of said circuits and is automatically returned to centralposition by one of said inwardly directed spring ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

